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Legalizing Marijuana The Federalist Way
Posted by CN Staff on May 08, 2009 at 20:35:29 PT
By Ross Raffin
Source: Stanford Progressive
California -- Many advocates of legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana feel Obama has abandoned them. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is a consistent warrior against decriminalization. Attorney General Eric Holder has a history of opposing drug policy reforms and considers the adult use of marijuana equivalent to public nuisance. Even Joe Biden, when asked about pain management and medical cannabis, responded that “there's got to be a better answer than marijuana.” But the reality is that the Obama administration has turned the tides in favor of legalization and decriminalization in a much stronger and subtler way than open rhetorical endorsements.
Optimism for drug reform began when Obama ended federal raids on cannabis dispensaries in states which allow medical marijuana. What marijuana advocates fail to realize is that with this the Obama administration initiated a small but extremely important step towards legalization. More importantly, it has done so in a way to insulate itself from Republican attacks and attempts to distract the public. At the heart of the marijuana debate is federalism, the separation of state and national governmental power. For most of America's history, marijuana was treated as a crop subject to state regulation. However, the national government justified regulating marijuana through a variety of means, mainly the Commerce Clause of the Constitution which gives Congress power to regulate inter-state trade. This line of reasoning was forcefully used by the John Ashcroft in 2001 to enforce federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries. When a state legalizes marijuana, medical or otherwise, state law is in contradiction with federal law. This grey area leads to very confusing legal proceedings. For instance, if a state patrolman finds a medical marijuana patient in possession of marijuana, nothing happens. However, if a federal officer found a medical marijuana patient in possession of the same amount of marijuana, the federal officer can and usually will arrest the patient and prosecute under federal law. This hypocrisy is at the base of the current trials going on against elderly medical marijuana patients.The Obama administration drastically changed this dynamic with just a slight alteration of criteria for federal intervention with marijuana dispensaries. Eric Holder announced that the federal government will no longer pursue medical marijuana dispensaries or patients unless they violate both federal and state laws. In the case of California, because medical marijuana is legal, federal intervention is no longer allowed in cases where California's medical marijuana laws are not broken. Thus, if California were to fully legalize marijuana, under current policy the federal government would not intervene.This leaves Republicans in a very tough spot. Small government is the bedrock foundation of the party. However, if a “liberal” state legalizes marijuana, the only tool left to combat the legalization of marijuana is for the federal government to extend power over state government. Obama's actions cannot be criticized as an attempt to “deregulate” marijuana. Instead, it is a triumph of state rights over federal intervention. More importantly, any attempt to fight state legalization of marijuana through suit automatically goes to the Supreme Court. This creates an opportunity to strike down previous legislation criminalizing marijuana as opposed to having the Democrats introduce a bill on the Senate floor to legalize pot.Consider the alternative strategy of legalizing marijuana on a national level first through Obama. In the current political environment, the leading accusations against the president range from terrorist to Marxist to illegal alien. Imagine the campaigns that could be waged if Obama so much as hinted that he wants to legalize marijuana. Not only would there be insinuations that Obama wants drugs for personal use, but inevitably racial dynamics and stereotypes would enter discourse. It would be the ultimate redirect from the economy. Instead of focusing on regulations and expenditures, emphasis would be on the president who is destroying traditional American values with reefer.If Obama or the Democrats proposed legalization, all the Republicans have to do is have several governors or senators who refuse to implement the federal law. This would frame the argument as Obama trying to extend the government's power to regulate what some consider the moral fabric of society. With just a few rhetorical shuffles, Obama's proposal could be linked to general monetary and budget extensions of power. This would be like the Republican's in the 30s arguing against the New Deal as a whole by linking it with a government proposal to force states to legalize prostitution. The Obama administration's public hesitation towards marijuana legalization is not only understandable but, considering the impact of the current economic legislation and programs the administration is endorsing, the most pragmatic and efficient route for the moment. Legalization and decriminalization advocates should focus efforts on state-wide legalization, not nation-wide. If states are challenged in lawsuits, than the Supreme Court will be forced to rule on whether legislation criminalizing marijuana should be struck down. This is preferable to the executive putting forward a proposal to legalize marijuana from the top down. When Obama tells the country that marijuana legalization is not the path he chooses for America, he means to say that the path must first be drawn by us. Source: Stanford Progressive (CA)Author: Ross RaffinPublished: May 8, 2009Contact: progressive.stanford gmail.comURL: http://drugsense.org/url/DvS5QmCvWebsite: http://drugsense.org/url/IObEpTeHCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #59 posted by AdaptBones on May 13, 2009 at 12:01:23 PT:
Pressure
There are obviously a lot of different feelings on how the best way to bring about dramatic change. I also believe many of us in this movement are about more than just "making weed legal". Cannabis is a symbol to most of us and we are trying to free what that symbol represents. Cannabis reform is about common sense freedom and fairness and the reverse of status quo that has hurt so many for so long. This movement, to many of us, is equal to the civil rights movements of the past and I feel it will go down in the history books in the same chapters as those past movements. There has been so many years of lies and prohib dam building and the common man has been blind to the truth for so long that it is not a simple matter of reversing all the lies (as much as I may be dismayed and wish otherwise). Imagine what would happen if Obama DID come out tomorrow and bring all the lies of the federal government to light on cannabis. The countries collective heads would roll and there would be chaos for quite some time. We have to look at the bigger picture to this all and look at what would happen if certain plans were carried out. If the leader of our federal government came out and said, "this countries government has lied for years about cannabis because of racism, greed, and maintaining the power structure for those in power". As great as we may think that would be it would cause total chaos as the calls came in from the general public to bring to light the rest of the lies about various other issues. It would be too much and the government of the United States would be undermined and would collapse in on itself for some time. And while there are various views that state a better order would come from that chaos there is no telling what may happen in the time where the federal government would basically be "closed". So I will trust that Obama IS on the up and up and he has made a calculated choice to not repair the "cracks" in the prohib dam. I will also hope that indeed our time has come and he is mainly standing aside (federally speaking) and letting the states regain some of their lost power to control their own people. States should not need to have the same rights. If one state wants to be a "moral, religious, conservative, simple" type of state then they should have the power to be that. By the same coin a state that wants to be progressive and wants to grant freedom to the people within it to live their lives as they please, control big corporations to give small business a chance, maintain basic rights of freedom from oppressive government, then they should be allowed to. The only thing the federal government should do is pass a law that states what you do in your state is your concern, but you are NOT allowed to try and push your views oppressively onto another state. Then let the people of the states choose how they want to live. Now to my last point, holding Obama and other government leaders feet to the fire. While some may not like that analogy it does make the point quite well. We can not make the mistake of thinking that Obama, or anyone else, will make the correct choices for our cause without our voices directing them. To think that prohibition will end if we don't hold on the pressure is naive. But we must also be intelligent, rational, and caring and let our voices do the most work. We need to be askign the right questions and challenging the leaders in power on common sense issues. We must also realise that politicians ARE planning moves and calculating to give them the biggest advantage over the rest while protecting themselves. While you may or may not agree with that (I personally believe we need some honest, strait shooting, common sense leaders who are not afraid to stand up for their views) that is the REALITY of American politics as it is today. Perhaps tomorrow will be better and different but it's not here today. So we need to be asking the hard questions to Obama and others that keep our voices being circulated across the nation. We need to be asking questions like, "With several states already allowing medical cannabis, how can the federal government maintain it's current schedule when it does not meet the definition"? Those types of questions raise thinking about our cause and helps guide the leaders toward the eventual goal. We don't want to hammer our leaders but we certainly want to raise those hard questions which make people think and could give the powers that be the way out they need to make that common sense change while protecting themselves. It would be easy for Obama to come out and say, "after reviewing the scheduling of cannabis under the controled substance act we have come to conclude that the schedule does not match the definition for that catagory. We will be conducting studies to reclassify this plant to a more approriate status according to science and we will be reviewing the criminal justice laws to match this new schedule" or something to that regard. A statement like that would go hand in hand with his call for science to lead policy and it should not cause much heat for him because the science is on our side. THAT is what we need to be holding his feet to the fire about because that is common sense and there is no reason he could NOT do that, even tomorrow. I believe that we can not let them drag their feet on this because while it may have slowed people are still dying and having their lives destroyed by these laws. If obama came out and suspended the cannabis drug laws until a complete review could be done then I could give him more time; but as it is he is not doing things that he COULD be doing to step out of the way federally. I think we need to strike that balance on both sides by not coming across as spoiled kids who are whining but coming across as concerned members of this nation who need to see this issue addressed because it is causing harm and we will not stand for that. I think that is what we need to be. Blessed be and keep the pressure up on the prohib dam and it will break, and hopefully soon.
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Comment #58 posted by Hope on May 12, 2009 at 07:16:50 PT
How we fight.
Treating adults like they are children trying to get a "Treat" for themselves, ie, legalization of cannabis, is wrong.A lot of this is about cannabis to some people. A lot of this is about basic liberty and freedom and rights and free choice to many people. But they foremost matter in it all, to me, is THEY DON'T have the right to terrorize, persecute, and even kill people over the use of a plant. They don't! They have to be stopped. The "weapon" they use to assault the people they do in the name of their war on cannabis has got to be rendered useless. Their "weapon", their "Law", was forged of lies. We do have to change the laws they use against people. I know there is great value in individual freedom and liberty. We do, I believe have the rights, constitutionally, as well as naturally to consume any plant or herb we wish to, if we choose to. The main thing is,and my main motivating source and problem with it all, is that THEY as humans and Americans DO NOT have the natural right they seem to think they have, to break into people's homes and treat people the way they do because they are so afraid of or despise cannabis and people who use it.Prohibitionists are doing something very wrong... very un-American... very un-human. It shouldn't be so damned hard for them, or anyone, to see that.We've been using the sword of truth to fight our battle. Blood's not flying. But we're making real progress.
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Comment #57 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 20:01:50 PT
dagman11
I can't really elaborate because it's just a feeling. About 6 months before Marc Emery was arrested I notice people in my personal web site's stats not CNews that I could tell problems were brewing. I don't know Marc Emery so I just kept it to myself. I didn't know what to do because I wasn't sure except what I just said. I sense trouble. I hope I am just reading more into my feelings then I should but I think California could be in for a rough ride. Not people who are following Prop 215.
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Comment #56 posted by dagman11 on May 11, 2009 at 19:46:31 PT
Question for FOM
" I think we are going to see major problems in California but it will ultimately work out." Will you elaborate? Thanks in advance.-Dave
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Comment #55 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 14:07:10 PT
BGreen
I agree. Be kind, be respectful and try. We've made it this far.
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Comment #54 posted by BGreen on May 11, 2009 at 14:01:07 PT
You should see what the "squeaky" wheel gets
Once again, my proofreading skills sharpen AFTER I press "Post Message." LOLThe Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #53 posted by BGreen on May 11, 2009 at 13:55:36 PT
The squeeky wheel gets the grease
One of the great quandaries in my own mind has been the conflict between the active pursuit of our dreams and desires versus the patience to let things happen.If we fall too far to one side or the other we tend to go nowhere.In 1980 when I moved to San Antonio, TX, there was a group of Latin American women who were ALWAYS on the news, their voices strong and loud, and they got things done because their voices would not be silenced. I had never seen such a powerful group back in MO.That is what's necessary to be heard and not ignored. We must be kind, courteous and extremely knowledgeable about our cause, but we must make sure our voices aren't overlooked.The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #52 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 09:46:05 PT
Hope
This is how I hope we become. Back in the early days when the video store we started was growing and we needed more employees many people came by to see if we were hiring. It got to the point that all the people that dropped by to see about employment started to blur in my mind. Some came by a couple times and some only one time but this one simple 30 something mother that wanted to add a little income to her family started checking in every week or two. She was so kind and radiated patience. To make a long story short when she was finally hired she became our manager and ran our store doing things we would normally only do. She was a gem and was with us for many years. I want our community to be like she was. She was kind, persistent and gracious and it paid off for her and us in the end.
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 09:09:03 PT
josephlacerenza
I hope you had a great weekend. President Obama is really smart. He knows very well how to let change happen. It will be from the bottom up not the top down. I think we are going to see major problems in California but it will ultimately work out. That is just a vibration I have and I could be wrong but we will keep moving forward one step at a time until it is done. It might even take years but it will happen.
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Comment #50 posted by josephlacerenza on May 11, 2009 at 08:47:10 PT
Good Morning C-Newsers
Before I read the comments, I was gone at my in-laws horse ranch for mothers day week end and have no want, or access to the internet, I want to say, FoM you are right!!! This president is one of the smartest, politically speaking, I have seen, I am still young!! He KNOWS, to end cannabis prohibition, IT will never end if IT EVER looked as if IT was his idea, politically speaking. The movement is from the GRASS roots!! I really feel this article "nailed it"! One law, from the top down, ended peoples access to cannabis. Many laws from the ground up have brought us to where we are today!!
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Comment #49 posted by Hope on May 11, 2009 at 07:28:59 PT
Pushy can mean lots of things.
Yes, I'm going to push the matter out there. But do I think we ought to exhibit the kind of irrationality and idiocy that got mankind into this mess in the first place? Good grief, I hope not. We're angry and disgusted. We should be. We should be against this prohibition and all it's fruits. We dang sure can't just let it slide. Insistent. Incessant. Persistent. Pursuant. Vigilant. Those are all things that we definitely should be. But are we going to be an 'in your face' horse's ass... like they are? I'm not. I'm caring about this and trying to do what I can about it because it's right to do. And it's wrong to sit by and let it happen... over and over and over again.We have a right to be angry and upset. Look at the people and animals our enforcers have killed. Look at the carnage and horror they are fully responsible for. We're trying to protect that kid, that man or woman, that animal, or police officer, or next door neighbor, that hasn't been killed or paralyzed yet in a Dynamic Entry, militaristic, terrorist style, descending angel of death, overwhelming government raid. No more tearing a child from his parents arms and putting it into the oh so screwed up "System", because his parent got caught using an unapproved herb. No more destroying people's lives to "save" them. What hypocrisy! It's wrong. It's wrong. It's wrong.Being pushy like a spoiled child until we get our "Treat"? No! That's not what's going on at all. We aren't after a "Treat" or a feel good thing, as the opposition likes to infer. We're out to stop mayhem and evil and wrong. Having a "Treat" hasn't got anything to do with it. We're pursuing the end of a modern day "Witch Hunt" that has got to end and we'll end it or go down, one way or the other, trying. Reasonable people will end this cannabis prohibition and all it's unnecessary and atrocious consequences. We're going to. But it's serious and I'm sick of a lot of the rhetoric that's floating around on both sides of the battle line. I'd love to hear our representatives in government say they couldn't stand the loss and mayhem to society, or society's pocketbook, anymore, caused by the prohibition of cannabis and those who enjoy or even need it. I'd love to see them step up and take responsibility and say that it's wrong and must change. That the prohibition has done more harm to society than the plant possibly can. I want to hear them say what they've been doing in the name of prohibition is wrong. No more spying and undercover deals or "friends" to entrap people. No more people dragged off to the gulag. No more sucking people dry financially to feed the drug war entity. No more Dynamic Entries. No more destroying homes and lives by "Law". No more people robbed in the name of seizure and forfeiture. No more people living in fear of accusation and reprisal over cannabis use.
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Comment #48 posted by FoM on May 11, 2009 at 04:50:20 PT
Hope
Thank you. Sometimes I really worry that they will think people who use marijuana are a pushy group and I hope we aren't. I know I'm not and most people on CNews aren't.
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Comment #47 posted by Hope on May 10, 2009 at 22:00:09 PT
Worship?
I don't think so. Liking a person and respecting him or her is not "worshiping" him or her. Of all the irritants thrown out there by people who don't like that President Obama is so liked, that "worship" one bothers me the most. That's a sorry expression... "Holding his feet to the fire". I'm not sure what that means. Keep his feet warm or torture him? What exactly does that mean? Pressure him? How much? I suspect he hears a little about reformers occasionally. I'm sure he did once or twice.Everyone of us has the right to write a letter or make a phone call or email to anyone in government... but I believe in being as reasonable as possible, even in dealing with the irrational, and with a bit of humility in mind. Does "keeping his feet warm" mean warting and pestering him or his office, until we're thought a bit on the unhinged side? I don't think we should. He knows we exist. His staff and advisers know we exist. God knows we've pursued that day. More and more people are waking up to the truth. Be heard and seen in a respectable way and don't make yourself, or any of the rest of us look bad, please. The seriousness of it all means that we should be careful and sensible and know exactly what we're doing or saying... maybe even figure out what a bit of "wisdom" on the matter is.Public opinion is changing so obviously and and so profoundly we actually, for the first time in a long time have a real leading, sharp, strong and wide edge and our ideas are getting a public forum and positive media more and more, everyday. That is profound. It's been building for years, decades, now. The tipping point in the whole thing that some of us think about doesn't mean we've reached the goal, but because of that searched for and long awaited "tipping point", and that we may have finally achieved it... things are rolling. Slow and lumbering but with power and not rolling back every third push forward.
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Comment #46 posted by MikeEEEEE on May 10, 2009 at 20:49:01 PT
Yoshi
The wall between eastern & western europe took decades to break and broke rather suddenly. I predict the same for prohibition part II.
Obama may choose not to repair the cracks in the wall, that would still be positive.
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on May 10, 2009 at 19:28:49 PT
Yoshi
I don't think there is one person on this board that worships Obama. He's just our current President. He's a politician.I don't know why we should hold his feet to the fire. We are seeing progress with sentencing reform and more and more is happening with medical marijuana.
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Comment #44 posted by yoshi on May 10, 2009 at 18:42:08 PT:
Obama Leadership
Hold his feet to the fire, get over the worship and expect some leadership on cannabis, if not now when? Listening to old speeches of Jimmy Carter must have had everyone thinking legalization was just around the corner 30 years ago.
Watching Specter switch parties shows again that our two party system, is a false paradigm, of a one party $$$ controlled govt. Don't hold your breath on any help from the new boss
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on May 10, 2009 at 13:21:03 PT
rchandar
Thank you. That was very good of you to call yor Mother. I hope everyone does that can.
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Comment #42 posted by rchandar on May 10, 2009 at 12:59:43 PT:
FoM
Happy Mothers Day, and I hope you have a good one.(Have already called my mother to wish her, so I'd like to wish the same for you).--rchandar
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Comment #41 posted by FoM on May 10, 2009 at 12:28:02 PT
Storm Crow
Thank you. I wish you a very Happy Mother's Day too!
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Comment #40 posted by Storm Crow on May 10, 2009 at 11:32:42 PT
Happy Mother's Day, Fom
You are WONDERFUL! 'Nuff said!
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Comment #39 posted by rchandar on May 10, 2009 at 10:45:06 PT:
Hi, All
I enjoyed the comments. Especially the "thin joint between sucking and toking." I admit, many people down here burn, and they're not all that concerned about the laws simply because they don't arrest everybody; you'd be at the wrong place at the wrong time......of course, still baffled by the fact that legal change has come to the rest of the country and not here. Too many days, I wish I was somewhere else, where legalization is a good perspective. I teach at a university here in NO, and have been surprised to find the Chief of Police sometimes teaching a class across from mine......we get a lot of grief, threats, general flack for advocating the legalization of MJ. Careers are ruined when professionals dare to challenge the viewpoints of those in power. That being said, the South isn't all bad. Methinks I'd rather be here in the winter, and the trees don't die then.But, I've been in this region for a long time. Living in the North or West may be difficult, that's only because progressive law reform is there and we would abide by it. No such concept appears among the DAs and PAs: to them, "drugs" are a "scourge" that "endanger" our "quality of life." It gets old after awhile.But I've learned many things. You could say I'm adapted. Meaning, I no longer throw the bird at the giant "Rush Limbaugh" billboards anymore.--rchandar
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Comment #38 posted by FoM on May 10, 2009 at 09:52:02 PT
TecHnoCult
It's nice to see you. I think the United States would be boring if we all thought the same. We wouldn't be a melting pot of cultures and beliefs like we are now and that would seem very dull.
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Comment #37 posted by TecHnoCult on May 10, 2009 at 08:04:07 PT
Hey, I resemble that remark! ;-)
I wrote a clever response, and it has been so long since I have posted here, I am no longer registered. It erased my comment. Maybe I will try again in a while :-)Suffice it to say, people in the south (at least my part of the south) are often more passionate about personal freedom than they are about "lockin' up the pot heads." I have been all over the country, and lived on the West Coast, and though I would rather go back, there is some virtue in at least parts of the south.Ah! Never mind, it just appears I forgot which PW I used. My account is still active after all these years! Thanks guys, makes me feel at home again!THC
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Comment #36 posted by FoM on May 10, 2009 at 04:47:58 PT
The United States Of America
I don't think badly of the south. It's part of our Nation. I have a nephew in Florida, a niece in South Carolina and another niece who lives in Austin, Texas. They love where they live now. Happy Mother's Day to all Moms.
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Comment #35 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on May 10, 2009 at 02:07:49 PT
Actually, cum to think of it.....
There's really all sorts of thin, thick, and medium joints involved in both sucking and toking. (Even in the south!)Sucking doesn't necessarily have to suck.
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Comment #34 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on May 10, 2009 at 01:54:04 PT
The South Shall Toke Again!
Not only did Obama win 3 southern states and well over 40% of the vote in most of the south in the general election, if it wasn't for the deep south in the primaries, Obama wouldn't have won the Democratic nomination to begin with.And polls have shown that around 70% of southerners favor medical marijuana, which is not much different and actually higher than some other parts of the country. But, of course, a majority of southern politicians of both parties have their heads up their butts, which is also not much different than some other parts of the country.What is different is that there are no means for citizen initiated referendums in any southern state, and apparently no citizens of means with any moral courage or even political imagination able to get on the ballot under the auspices of either party in most of the south.Yeah, the south does suck, however there's a thin joint between sucking and toking.
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Comment #33 posted by rchandar on May 09, 2009 at 18:54:07 PT:
Hey, All
...thought I'd share a joke with you. My uncle is one of the heaviest drinkers I've ever known. He hates drugs of all kinds, but he had this bit of inebriated wisdom to share with me when I was a tender youth of 16..."...the South, it sucks, mannnn....big d #ks and little brains."All True!--rchandar
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 15:41:55 PT
George
Last night on Bill Maher James Carville said the time for a long run for Democrats will happen now. The Republicans have been in power for a very long time and people are waking up and seeing how it has failed and want a new direction. Maybe soon everyone will understand we can't keep going on like this. I'm getting my work around home done so I can turn on C/Span and laugh tonight. What a nice thing to be able to laugh. Buckley's son was on Hard Ball the other day and he voted for Obama. He said many of his father's friends voted for Obama and he thought if his father was still alive he would have voted for him too. Slowly the good conservatives are opening their eyes and not being blinded by a Party line. They only have 20% anymore of our voting population. It really is time to fix our country and do the things that have long been ignored under their rule.
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Comment #31 posted by George Servantes on May 09, 2009 at 15:30:53 PT
FoM
I am not against south. It's a fact that we are more liberal then most people in the south. But it's all a progress, southerners are honest and good people, what I think is that people minds are polluted by old ideas that are already many times proven bad for most of us.
We have greatest democracy on the earth, what happened with our rights. Few conservatives are lagging most of us because they still live in those black and white reality and they hate liberal people. Corporations are taking over and they are the cause of all our economy trouble. They are greedy and killing small business. Results of that corporations monopoly is economic decline because less and less people pay taxes, they ship jobs oversees etc...
But we the people will soon take over, we are constantly evolving and they can't hide the truth forever. God bless you all.
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 13:11:43 PT
Drug Czar Confirmed On May 7, 2009
Since May 7th was the day the Drug Czar was confirmed I expect discussions to happen as he gets settled into his job. Then we'll see which way we are going.
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Comment #29 posted by VocalCitizen on May 09, 2009 at 12:43:22 PT:
We Tolerate Hypocrisy
Think about the average candidate: A smiling mass of scripted responses and fringe issue aversion. Yet, we elect these people. We campaign for and rally behind them.
Then, we rail against them when they refuse to address the very issues they avoided.
Until we are presented with a candidate who just speaks from the heart and mind, refusing to be an automaton for party interests, we must use the power of our voices to inspire our elected officials to enact our will.I believe in President Obama. He's a good man who jumped into the presidency with the planning of a community organizer, knowing you must address every issue at once, making initial changes. When each facet has been addressed, then you can buckle down and pay more attention to each. I think he's doing a bang-up job.My only exception to him is his lack of ability to see the forest for the trees. He's told us endlessly that he wants to trim the budget of waste. Thursday, he told us he was cutting some 100 programs to free up $17B in expenditures. He said he'd let states decide marijuana law.These three statements are inextricably linked. If he were to lift federal laws against marijuana and allow the states to decide, he could free up much more than $17B in government expenses while trimming the waste that comes from the war on drugs. Continuing to ignore this simple act, he has cram-packed himself into the cubbyhole of "mouthpiece", recognizing a problem then only paying it lip service, even with a sarcastic laugh on the lips.If we continue to allow hypocrisy during campaign season, we have only ourselves to blame for the candidates we get.
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Comment #28 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 11:36:08 PT
Sam
You said: We need to be tactful and use grassroots pressure and not embarass him or seek to damage him politically, that is not going to help anything.I totally agree with that statement.
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Comment #27 posted by Sam Adams on May 09, 2009 at 11:27:19 PT
cooperation
FOM I agree, I have my own strong opinions and I won't compromise them for anything. However we all need to listen to what NM governor Gary Johnson said and "live in reality".In particular I think the Republican's ship is still going down because people are recognizing that they're not really looking to make a consensus or get anything done, they're quite happy to see the world fall apart just so they can have a little tantrum like brats and refuse to go along with anything.personally I think it's fine for liberals to put pressue on Obama and hold his feet to the fire, that's how our government is supposed to work. But he is the leader for now and has the greatest potential to fix things so we need to be tactful and use grassroots pressure and not embarass him or seek to damage him politically, that is not going to help anything. I actually support 3rd parties but you'd have to blind to not see as Obama as the best chance we've had in decades for liberal progress.
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Comment #26 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 11:14:36 PT
Sam
I am concerned about the rage I have seen from people on our side against Obama. We will surely lose if we don't work with this administration. Always being critical about anything drug policy related isn't coming from Progressives. I think we need to know what our motives are and what our end result will be if we follow in a certain directions.
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Comment #25 posted by Sam Adams on May 09, 2009 at 11:05:37 PT
obama
FOM - my comment was aimed more at progressive pundits like the author more than Obama.I believe Obama has his reasons for not endorsing full legalization at this time - but I seriously doubt fear of being smeared by the right wing is one of his reasons. That's all I'm saying. On the contrary I think he has the courage to ignore them.I think his reasons have more to do with the internal constituencies of law enforcement and their unions. Not fear of Rush Limbaugh. It would help Obama if writers and liberal though leaders like this author stopped being wimps and drug policy reform. In fact I would predict that many followers of the right-wing nut jobs are men who enjoy cannabis (too bad they're still idiots, they must need to smoke more).
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 10:23:57 PT
Sam
That is the reality and the writer was speaking what I personally believe. I think a working with Obama approach will take us far. Hating him won't do us any good and probably a lot of harm. Patience really is a virtue. I have waited forever for a President like Obama and I will wait for change to come slowly from the progressive people that elected him because most of them are on our side.
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Comment #23 posted by kaptinemo on May 09, 2009 at 10:10:50 PT:
Rchandar, there's a problem in relying on *Raich*
The reason why the Supremes turned thumbs down on it is that if they had ruled in its' favor, the entire edifice of Federal power would have been immediately called into question.Think of a huge building...whose foundation is made of toothpicks. That's our Federal bureaucracy, based upon the twisting of the Commerce Clause. When that happened, it was like the court case that gave corporations the same rights as human beings. It started a huge burgeoning of power, which would not have happened if the SC had followed a strict interpretation of the Commerce Clause as written, not as they interpreted it to mean.If the Supremes had ruled in favor of Raich/Monson, then everything the Federal Gub'mint had done for decades would have to be dismantled. And they weren't about to do that, as that would mean decentralization of power back to the States, making them sovereign once more. (Considering that most of the Supremes belong to the supposedly 'conservative' Federalist Society which is supposed to roll back Fed power, this shows how hypocritical the majority who voted against Raich/Monson were and are.)I'm afraid we're back to the '50 State Strategy' when it comes to relegalization. Needless to say, we need as many States as we can get. But we are gaining more and more ground in the media, every day. And, as bad as the economy is, it's turning out to be the reformer's trump card, for the economy isn't a person you can humiliate and ridicule; it just is. And pols who privately support drug law reform can turn to their constituents and say, "Look, we have to make choices. Do we want to tell people who need unemployment insurance they can't have it because the money is going to a DrugWar that can't even keep drugs out of prisons we can no longer afford to staff, much less fill? What do we want? A DrugWar or unemployment insurance?" If things keep going the way they are, before too long, you will hear that question asked, and in exactly the same wording as times get tighter.
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Comment #22 posted by Sam Adams on May 09, 2009 at 09:49:42 PT
self-defeating attitude
This is SO annoying:>Consider the alternative strategy of legalizing marijuana on a national level first through Obama. In the current political environment, the leading accusations against the president range from terrorist to Marxist to illegal alien. Imagine the campaigns that could be waged if Obama so much as hinted that he wants to legalize marijuana. Not only would there be insinuations that Obama wants drugs for personal use, but inevitably racial dynamics and stereotypes would enter discourse. It would be the ultimate redirect from the economy. Instead of focusing on regulations and expenditures, emphasis would be on the president who is destroying traditional American values with reeferThis kind of apologist, fatalistic wimping out is what got the Dems' butts kicked for YEARS. This pathetic attitude is the opposite of leadership. OF COURSE your enemies are going to try to make it hard for you. The solution is to be strong - have some faith in your convictions for pete's sake. If you think you're right and fighting injustice let the whole world know, shout it from the rooftops.This confidence is what defines leadership, it is precisely this quality that draws people to support your cause. If we're just going to kowtow to the bullying of Hannity and Rush Limbaugh why don't we just put them in the White House and save everyone a lot of trouble???
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Comment #21 posted by Had Enough on May 09, 2009 at 09:45:21 PT
Florida…PUFMM Update
Florida…PUFMM UpdatePeople United For Medical Marijuana - PUFMMFrom: Kim RussellSent on: Thursday, April 16, 2009 8:33 PMHi Everyone, Just wanted to give you an update on what is happening here in Orlando. We have been getting leaders signed up all over the state. We now have leaders in all large cities. I have been talking with major funding sources from around the country. We are getting great responses from everyone. Two months ago, Florida was considered a lost cause. Now, they are coming out of the woodwork to support us. We have done many TV interviews in Orlando, resulting in a recent poll by the Orlando Sentinel where 92.5% of respondents think medical marijuana should be legal. We do intend on getting around the state and will need your help in setting up photo opportunities for the press, along with interviews. In the meantime, if you get any press requests you can forward them to me. Most of our copies have been donated so far, and it has been such a huge help!!!! For the areas that need copies, I have started ordering them from bestvaluecopy.com for two cents each - free shipping on $125 (makes around 3,100 copies). It takes a couple of days and is so convenient.Here are some things we need from you: 1) A list of legislators that have been spoken to about medical marijuana and which of them may introduce a bill or would vote yes if a bill was introduced in the house and senate. The main objective is to get them to introduce and pass a bill this fall. If you have not contacted your legislators yet, please send them an email and arrange to have meetings with them while they are home for the summer. It is an absolute must that everyone focus on medical marijuana. We will only hurt this cause if we talk about other legalization efforts. Let me know if you do not feel comfortable speaking to your legislators. Some of the more experienced members will be happy to help with tips and suggestions on effective communication. We can also find someone else to do the talking. 2) There are many things people are donating such as clipboards, pens, and copies. We need a value, the name, and address of the donor. All monies spent are considered in-kind donations and must be reported to the Division of Elections. It also helps us look good when people look at our numbers. I am sorry, donations are not tax deductible. We are a political committee, therefore can not register as a non-profit. Businesses that provide generous donations can be listed on the website upon request.3) We are starting a fundraising drive on 4/20. We want everyone to donate $100 in 100 days. It can be broken down to $33 per month. Any less than that would be a reporting nightmare. We are taking credit cards on the website. Our budget to get this on the ballot is $2 million, we need to raise over $500,000 in the next three months.4) For the events calendar, make a list of events happening in your area, including the date, time, and location. Check out radio station events, concerts, festivals, or anything else you think would be a great place to have people posted. 5) The signed petitions need to be verified before we turn them into the supervisor of elections in each county. We have to pay ten cents for the county to verify each signature, so we want to make sure we are only paying for valid signatures. I would like to have someone in each area verify signatures and deliver them to the supervisor of elections with a check. We do have access to the voter records for this process. The best way to get in touch with me is by email to kruss70 gmail.com You may also leave a message at 407-405-0110. Thanks so much for joining this mission!Sincerely, Kim Russellhttp://www.meetup.com/People-United-For-Medical-Marijuana-Orlando/messages/5887928/************People United for Medical Marijuana - Floridahttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127343055695CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AND SIGN THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE!!!
http://www.pufmm.com/petition.php************Video interview with local reporter & Kim RussellGroup wants medical marijuana legalizedTAMPA - There's been a lot of debate over what some people call medical marijuana.Click to see...http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/dpp/news/local/hillsborough/medical_marijuana_petition_050809
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Comment #20 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 09:13:33 PT
George
The south is different to me. I was born in the south. I don't mean people just the dislike for our big and wonderful country. I have been thru almost every state in the nation all but the extreme north west and I see good in them all. I hope they can get over the Civil War because we up north have. The South was hurt by the War but so was the North. Living in the past keeps us trapped there. We aren't then we are now.
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Comment #19 posted by George Servantes on May 09, 2009 at 09:05:45 PT
south
South is always lagging behind in past, that's why there was a civil war. We can do so little because most people are conservative and non caring. I lived some time of my life on south and i didn't like it, it's not progressive liberal at all. There are some nice people there too but religious conservatives are holding them in past.
Life is like a river, always moving and in constant flux.
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Comment #18 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 09:03:57 PT
Had Enough
Very nice. Thank you. I wish them the best of luck.
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Comment #17 posted by Had Enough on May 09, 2009 at 08:55:54 PT
Florida Poll - repost
This Poll is still active…it appears...Poll: Should marijuana be legal?Yes – 89 % 1088No – 8% 103I don’t know – 1% 20Total votes - 1211http://www.naplesnews.com/polls/2009/apr/marijuana-legal/results/************People United for Medical Marijuana – Floridahttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127343055695We are more than just a group. We are registered voters willing to sign a petition to show our support for medical marijuana. We are a political committee registered with the state of Florida to restore patients' rights to receive safe, affordable and effective medication. We are collecting signatures to amend the constitution.http://www.pufmm.org/
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 08:49:43 PT
rchandar
How do we get southern support if they aren't progressive in their thinking? I think if we get the north east and west coast and some of the upper mid west states we can do it without many of the southern states. If we have to wait for the some of the southern states how long will it take 10 or 20 more years? I probably won't be around that long.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 08:44:39 PT
rchandar
I think if we work in a kind and respectful manner with this administration we will be able to present a legitimate reason to help us reform marijuana laws in general. If we act holier then thou we will be shut out and maybe for many years. We blew it back when Carter was President and history often repeats itself and I hope it won't this time because this is it for me and many of us. There won't be a next time.
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Comment #14 posted by rchandar on May 09, 2009 at 08:43:55 PT:
Article
Let me make something clear--we WILL NOT OVERTURN THE WOD WITHOUT SOUTHERN SUPPORT!!! It's just a misnotion that keeps us from legitimacy. If a region of the country that has 90 million inhabitants, and the fastest growing economy in the country, AND big immigrant influxes every year, does not sign off on "change," change won't happen.--rchandar
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Comment #13 posted by rchandar on May 09, 2009 at 08:41:04 PT:
Article
And those of you who would say f--k the South: I can understand. Since 1988, the USG has had a sort of love affair with Southern politicians--Bush, Clinton, Bush. The notion of a tough enforcer who ignores civil and human rights in the pursuit of normative mainstreamism has become a cornerstone of American social policy. Bush's "culture war" against MJ was unmistakably Southern; we should use Obama's success as a means to wage our own "culture war," whereby Southerners rooted in cop-friendly zero-tolerance policies are pressured and encouraged to adopt more sane, humanitarian, and rational social policies that forgive rather than condemn. It's appropriate, because we can't really say "New South" without the sense that this region--where 30% of Americans live--is privy to the same innovations as the rest of the country.
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Comment #12 posted by rchandar on May 09, 2009 at 08:36:50 PT:
Article
This is well-thought out and true to fact, but a basic contention would be Raich v. Gonzales, where the majority decision in the Supreme Court insisted that MMJ legalization would be an issue to be taken on by Congress. Since the Dems have an outright majority in both Houses, we would be foolish not to push for it. We would outline a bill that would be negative reasoning, meaning, "this bill promises federal non-enforcement in states where MMJ is legal according to state law." We cannot do otherwise: relying on cases creates the US-Canada-Mexico scenario, where the public isn't sure whether MMJ is legit or not. Meanwhile, very encouraging are the number of MMJ bills; should we be able to increase the number of states with MMJ clauses (and there are MORE than twelve), we're going to come off as being a relevant discussion, not an irrelevant one.--rchandar
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 08:03:41 PT
MikeEEEEE
That's what they said. I agree we need to distance ourselves from them. They like to high jack and twist our opinions when we actually are headed in a good direction and they try to derail us and bring us down. I won't let that happen to me. Life is way too short to allow someone else to create my own mood and beliefs about life. Freaking out, being vulgar, hating, are such horrible vibrations.
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Comment #10 posted by MikeEEEEE on May 09, 2009 at 07:51:05 PT
Bill Maher
One of the guests on the show said the republicans have a personality disorder. In medicine personality disorders cannot be cured.The only cure is to distance ourselfs from them, which I believe is occuring more and more, seen by their lowering poll numbers.
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 07:20:12 PT
runruff
I don't understand why conservatives are so angry and don't seem to laugh or care about other people very well. I'm glad I can call my self a Progressive. Being progressive means tolerance, having a sense of humor, knowing Rome wasn't built in a day etc. I only watched this dinner one time when Colbert was the comedian under the Bush Administration. Tonight one of my favorite comedians will be the stand up comic I think it's called. I will laugh and be thankful for where we are heading this time instead of living in fear and dread. It will start at 8 PM EDT on C/Span tonight.White House Correspondents Dinnerhttp://www.wandasykes.com/
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Comment #8 posted by runruff on May 09, 2009 at 06:40:04 PT
Corporate Karma!
Is it any wonder that the GOP would be served the same fate as The Mega corps that they were married to?They've had their hay day and now it is time to pay!
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Comment #7 posted by runruff on May 09, 2009 at 06:36:25 PT
Republicans
They don't get that "thinking" people don't want to be told how to live, what they can and can't do, treating us like children and trying to force us by law to live by the standards set by their own personal religion. Something they themselves fail miserably at making them world class hypocrites!
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 06:06:16 PT
Off Topic: Bill Maher
HBO is open this weekend and we watched the show last night. It was very good particularly the first part. I have wondered about why Republicans gets so angry and don't seem to have a very good sense of humor. They talked about how they think. I thought along the same lines but it was good to get a re-enforcement since it has been a real mind bending experience to try to figure them out. James Carville was really funny too.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on May 09, 2009 at 05:12:14 PT
About This Article
This articles was the most pleasant article I have read in a while. It shows common sense and patience. It shows an understanding of how those on the other side react and they really are scary. I believe the people the Obama Administration is putting in place to be people that won't just shut reasonable people out but will listen. If we act like children and yell and swear and complain about everything that we don't appreciate we will get the door slammed in our face. I hope more writers think along the lines of this article.
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Comment #4 posted by kaptinemo on May 09, 2009 at 04:02:37 PT:
Sorry, Mr. Raffin, we're way ahead of you
"More importantly, any attempt to fight state legalization of marijuana through suit automatically goes to the Supreme Court. This creates an opportunity to strike down previous legislation criminalizing marijuana as opposed to having the Democrats introduce a bill on the Senate floor to legalize pot."The Bush Too (not a typo) Administration had all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The Obama Administration is proving to be vastly more deft. A lot of us saw this chess move for what it was, at the time it was made. I've been stating for years, here and elsewhere, that this issue screams, cries and begs to go to court...where there are penalties for lying under oath. And that's all the prohibs have: LIES. They can't open their mouths without risking perjury, and they know it.Aside from that, the racist origins of drug prohibition itself would become evidence. The fruit does not fall far from the tree; all one need do is look at the writings of the early drug prohibitionists and then compare those with the modern-day racial profiling of traffic stops and measure the racial composition of the prison population to see how the DrugWar is functioning exactly as intended.The leadership of the prohibs have known this for years. The bottom-feeders and knuckle-draggers amongst their cohort's food-chain are incapable of understanding...or would flippantly say "So what?" (at least as long as their fellow Black and Hispanic drug agents and police aren't in earshot). But this is their Achille's Heel, and more efforts to chivvy them into a courtroom need to be made by calling into question the integrity of those making prohibitionist statements...especially when they do so on our dime and our time.Because we should NOT have to pay for the salaries of those who LIE to us about national policy, now should we?
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Comment #3 posted by Vincent on May 08, 2009 at 22:50:48 PT:
Conservatives DO criticize Obama
This is an inspirstional article. However, the author doesn't realize the power of the "Dark Side". When he claims that the Obama Administration has "insulated itself from Republican attacks", believe me when I say that it's not true. And when he says that "Obama's actions cannot be criticized as an attempt to deregulate marijuana", believe me, it can, and will be criticized. These people live for that; to criticize people that they don't like. I once wrote that Sarah Palin is shrewd. Everything she says or does is for the camera. All the prohibitionists are like that. All of them showboating. And very, very dangerous.The author is quite correct when he says,
"In the current political environment, the leading accusations against the president range from terrorist to Marxist to illegal alien. Imagine the campaigns that could be waged if Obama so much as hinted that he wants to legalize marijuana. Not only would there be insinuations that Obama wants drugs for personal use, but inevitably racial dynamics and stereotypes would enter discourse. It would be the ultimate redirect from the economy. Instead of focusing on regulations and expenditures, emphasis would be on the president who is destroying traditional American values with reefer This would frame the argument as Obama trying to extend government's power to regulate what some consider the moral fabric of society". Now, you see the type of enemy we have: relentless, self-righteous robots. Personally, I find these misanthropes to be disgusting.
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on May 08, 2009 at 21:23:45 PT
MikeEEEEE
Many times during the Campaign Obama said change comes from the bottom up not the top down.It is up to us to bring the change we believe in. We can do it with dignity and without fear.
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Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on May 08, 2009 at 21:17:51 PT
We the people
From the article:When Obama tells the country that marijuana legalization is not the path he chooses for America, he means to say that the path must first be drawn by us.
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